O'Connell steps up to centre stage from his walk-on part

ALL-IRELAND UNDER-21 HURLING FINAL: IN THE 2009 All-Ireland Under-21 hurling final played at Croke Park, when Clare defeated…

ALL-IRELAND UNDER-21 HURLING FINAL:IN THE 2009 All-Ireland Under-21 hurling final played at Croke Park, when Clare defeated Kilkenny, to claim their first and only title at that level, Patrick O'Connor made an appearance as a substitute for the Banner county. So too did Conor McGrath.

For this year’s decider at Thurles on Saturday evening, the same counties square up to each other once again. O’Connor and team captain McGrath are the only link to the historic squad of three years ago but, on this occasion, the pair will be expected to take on rather more significant roles than the walk-on parts they played three years ago.

“I had a very minor role in that team,” claims O’Connor. “I was a kind of a bit player. This time around, it’s much more enjoyable,” said the wing-back. “I’ve a much more important role now. So in that respect it’s more enjoyable.”

“I’m 21 now. A lot has come and passed in those few years and with the bank of experience we’ve built up in those intervening years, between myself and Conor and a few of the lads with Munster minor medals, we’ll draw on that and hopefully put together a really impressive performance.”

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That bank of experience in the interim he refers to includes making a senior inter-county debut in 2010 and nailing down a permanent place on the side. He is one of the youngsters that Davy Fitzgerald put his faith in this season, as he embarks on building a squad to restore Clare’s bid for championship glory. O’Connor sees a strong connection and co-operation between Fitzgerald’s management and that of the under-21 set-up as essential if Clare are to progress.

“Certainly, Dónal and Gerry are constantly in touch with Davy and the senior management team. For the good of Clare hurling, going forward, there needs to be a link.

“There needs to be a thread sewn between those two panels to make sure Clare hurling is going in the one direction. You should be told the same thing the whole time. On that basis there’s been an agreement come to, as to how we want to play our hurling,” says the CIT student.

From the parish of Tubber on the Galway border, Patrick O’Connor is from a proud hurling clan who are no strangers to squaring up to and beating Kilkenny in national deciders. O’Connor did his bit to dash the Cats’ hopes three years ago, while his father, Pat, and his uncle, Enda, played on Clare’s National League-winning sides of 1977 and ’78, claiming victory over Kilkenny in both finals.

“I’m a club man first and foremost,” states Patrick.

“It’s club first and county second. I have great pride in – first off, representing my family, second of all, representing Tubber. Another Tubber man Ronan Taaffe plays in goals for us and between the two of us we are representing the county with pride and doing our club proud.”

In spite of the Kilkenny’s pre-eminence in hurling’s pecking order over the last decade, O’Connor is nevertheless optimistic about Clare’s chances tomorrow.

“From a personal point of view, you tend to raise your game an extra five to ten per cent, when you see Kilkenny coming on the field. They are standard-bearers and you want to be judging yourself against them. If you rate yourself as an intercounty hurler you want to be capable of playing against Kilkenny. In that respect, seeing the Kilkenny jersey can actually be a positive. That’s they way we’ll be thinking on Saturday.”